Hi-Fi Rush on a Mac with a controller
The Hi-Fi Rush layout is built into InputConfig, free on the Mac App Store. You don't have to make an account, there are no subscriptions, and nothing is locked. Optimized for Apple silicon.
On a Mac: No Mac version. It streams through Xbox Cloud Gaming or from a Windows PC you own, and the stream normally passes a controller to the game's own scheme.
Yes, Hi-Fi Rush plays on a Mac with a controller, through Xbox Cloud Gaming or a stream from your own PC. When the stream misses your controller, this layout plays it, on the beat. A rhythm brawler needs its attacks where the thumb lands on the beat, and streams add latency, which the game has a calibration setting for.
On this page: 9 sections
The layout, control by control
How the layout thinks
- Move and look. The left stick moves and the right stick nudges the camera.
- Attack on the beat. The light attack (left click) is the left face button and the heavy (right click) the top. The right trigger fires the active Special (R).
- Defend. Jump is the bottom face button and dodge (Left Shift) the right. The right bumper parries to the beat (E).
- Partners. The left bumper calls the partner assist (Left Option), and the left trigger magnet-pulls enemies (Q). The left stick click and D-pad left switch partner (F).
- Specials. The right stick click and D-pad right change the Special (2), and D-pad up uses Overcharge (3).
- Help and menus. D-pad down toggles Rhythm Assist (Tab), Create shows a stage hint (1), and Options pauses.
The parry is a bumper, so you can keep attacking with your thumb while a finger catches the beat.
Tune it
- Latency. Use the game's rhythm calibration for the stream's delay.
- Camera. The camera rows run at Speed 12. Raise them if turning feels slow.
Calibrate the rhythm for the stream before anything else, because it fixes more than any row does.
If the stream passes your controller
When the stream gives the game your pad, use its own scheme. Keep this preset off then, or every press arrives twice and off the beat. Attack once with the preset off, and if Chai swings, play on the game's own scheme.
Hi-Fi Rush controller support: controller or keyboard
Steam's store page lists full controller support for Hi-Fi Rush, so the game was made to be played on a controller, menus included. A keyboard and mouse work as well, and the choice is yours. On a Mac, use the game's own controller support first when it sees your pad; this layout is for a pad it does not see, or for buttons it will not let you move. Full support listed means the controller is a first-class way to play Hi-Fi Rush.
From Steam's listing, checked in October 2026. Every game's listing is in Mac games with controller support.
If your controller is not working in Hi-Fi Rush
When Hi-Fi Rush does not react to your controller on a Mac, climb this ladder, smallest step first:
- Check that the Mac sees the controller. Open the gamepad tester and press a button. If nothing lights up there, the problem is the connection, and a controller that is connected but not working covers that first.
- Press a button after the stream has started. A stream only picks up a controller that is paired with the Mac, and a browser shows a controller to a page only after a button press. Start Hi-Fi Rush, then press any button. Streaming from your own PC has its own checks, in how to stream PC games to a Mac with a controller.
- Play it from keys. If Hi-Fi Rush still ignores the pad, activate this layout. It sends the keyboard and mouse controls Hi-Fi Rush already reads. Turn the game's own controller option off while it runs, or a press can arrive twice. The layout works whether or not Hi-Fi Rush ever sees the controller.
Get it in two clicks
- Get InputConfig free on the Mac App Store, open it, and click Smart Preset Maker on the welcome screen.
- Search for Hi-Fi Rush and pick it. The layout is created as a preset in your sidebar, named and ready.
- Press Activate. Every row can be changed afterwards: the editor's Scan button rebinds any control the moment you touch it.
To check the controller itself first, the gamepad tester shows every button and stick live in your browser.
Hi-Fi Rush controls: every button and the key it sends
The Sends column is Hi-Fi Rush's default keyboard and mouse controls, as this layout expects them. If you changed a key in the game's settings, change the same row in InputConfig.
| Controller | Sends | What it does |
|---|---|---|
| X / Square | Left click | X is a light attack on the beat, left mouse |
| Y / Triangle | Right click | Y is a heavy attack on the beat, right mouse |
| A / Cross | Space | A jumps, Space |
| B / Circle | Shift (Left) | B dodges and evades, Left Shift |
| RB / R1 | E | Right bumper parries to the beat, E |
| Right trigger | R | Right trigger fires the active Special attack, R |
| Left trigger | Q | Left trigger magnet pulls enemies in, Q |
| LB / L1 | Alt / Option (Left) | Left bumper calls the partner assist, Left Alt |
| L3 (left stick click) | F | Left stick click switches the active partner, F |
| R3 (right stick click) | 2 | Right stick click changes the selected Special, 2 |
| D-pad up | 3 | D-pad up uses Overcharge, 3 |
| D-pad down | Tab | D-pad down toggles Rhythm Assist, Tab |
| D-pad left | F | D-pad left switches partner, F |
| D-pad right | 2 | D-pad right changes Special, 2 |
| Back / Share / Select | 1 | Back shows a stage hint, 1 |
| Start / Options | Escape | Start pauses the game, Esc |
| Left stick up | W | Left stick up moves forward, W |
| Left stick down | S | Left stick down moves back, S |
| Left stick left | A | Left stick left moves left, A |
| Left stick right | D | Left stick right moves right, D |
| Right stick left | Mouse motion left (speed 12) | Right stick nudges the camera, mouse X |
| Right stick right | Mouse motion right (speed 12) | Right stick nudges the camera, mouse X |
| Right stick up | Mouse motion up (speed 12) | Right stick nudges the camera vertically, mouse Y |
| Right stick down | Mouse motion down (speed 12) | Right stick nudges the camera vertically, mouse Y |
Button names follow the Xbox / PlayStation pair shown in the editor, so A / Cross is the bottom face button on either pad. On a Switch Pro Controller the bottom button is labeled B; the mapping still fires on position.
Questions
Does Hi-Fi Rush run on a Mac?
Hi-Fi Rush does not run natively on a Mac. Xbox Cloud Gaming streams it, and a Windows PC you own can stream it too. This layout covers a stream that does not see the pad.
Does Hi-Fi Rush have controller support?
Yes. Steam lists full controller support for Hi-Fi Rush, so every part of the game can be played on a controller.
Is Hi-Fi Rush better with a controller or a keyboard?
Both work. Steam lists full controller support for Hi-Fi Rush, so it was made to be played on a controller, and a keyboard and mouse work as well.
Why is my controller not working in Hi-Fi Rush on a Mac?
First check the Mac itself sees the controller, with the gamepad tester. If it does and Hi-Fi Rush still ignores it, activate the Hi-Fi Rush layout in InputConfig, which sends the game's keyboard and mouse controls from the controller.
Can I play Hi-Fi Rush on an M1 Mac or a MacBook Air?
Yes, through a stream. Hi-Fi Rush runs on the other end, on a cloud service or your own PC, so the Mac only plays the video and sends your input. An M1 MacBook Air streams it like any other Mac.
Does Hi-Fi Rush run in CrossOver on a Mac?
I have not tested Hi-Fi Rush in CrossOver. CodeWeavers keeps a compatibility list where players report how each Windows game runs. If it runs and the controller is not seen, this layout plays it from the keys and mouse.
Related
Completely free. You don't have to make an account, there are no subscriptions, and nothing is locked. Optimized for Apple silicon. Open source on GitHub.
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